Black Cat's Luna
by Nightrain05
Summary: In a world struggling for peace, Chronos sends assassins to dispose of any who cross the invisible boundaries set up by their laws. Train Heartnet is the 13th number, an eraser for Chronos. However, all that changes when he meets one as bright as the moon...and just as powerful. Train x OC
1. Prologue

First off, thanks for reading! I worked very hard on this first chapter.

To anyone who has read Black Cat, I'm basically doing the same storyline (Which I DO NOT own whatsoever), but changing little things here and there...plus adding some romance between you'll guess who and my OC. :3

If I get the chance, I'll post pictures on deviantart to let you know how my character looks and different outfits she might wear.

To those who haven't watched Black Cat, go watch at least the first episode, or this might get extremely confusing, and that's something we want to avoid, right?

I'm naming the chapters after the episodes because that's exactly what it is; almost a summary of the episode (only a lot longer...)

I will repeat this only once, none of the content aside from my OC belongs to me, it is fully the property of the original writer.

Have fun and please do comment! Thanks!


	2. A Lonely Cat

Fireworks rang loud and clear in the distance, masking the sound of metal clashing against metal.

A man in a black coat fights another wearing white, anger and remorse clear on his face. His opponent's eyes were brimming of insanity as he lashed out at his counterpart.

"Your eyes!"

Yellow eyes that were narrowed but calm.

"That woman! She's got you! You're under that witches spell!"

In the distance, a young woman's body, bloody beyond recognition, lay on the harsh, cold ground.

"AHHHHHHHHH!"

As the man raises his blade to deal the killing blow, the younger individual screams loudly before everything goes dark.

A man in white leans casually against the wall. The moon full, dark intent haunting the air.

A priest prays fiercely in a church, seeming panicked and afraid. The man watched him in amusement, standing near an array of colored glass.

A black cat jumps up towards the building, eyes glowing in the piercing dark of night. Behind it follows a man in a black coat, with the roman numbers XIII marked clear across his chest.

On his way down into the church, the two men cross paths, and the man in white smiles devilishly.

A nun screams out as 13 knocks her down, as well as several of her comrades. A flock of crows fly up as he lands in the center of the church, surrounded by nuns. Several remove their innocent frocks and reveal themselves, pointing weapons at the man.

He takes them out without hesitation, one by one. Skulls fly as he points a gun under the chin of the priest. The priest sweats, panic rising in his body.

"You...you're one of them! You're one of the Chronos, aren't you?"

The priest whimpers pathetically, while the man looks up at him mercilessly.

"I've come to deliver some bad luck."

The man in white closes his eyes, almost as if pleasured by the sound of the shot ringing throughout the church.

Blood scatters on the holy floor as the priest falls to his knees before hitting the ground. The man laughs maniacally as his counterpart disappears without a trace.

"Ah, fantastic! You're one of a kind...Black Cat!"

The so called Black Cat is found far from the church, his body enveloped in the light of the moon, his eyes as sharp and deadly as any feline on a hunt.

A screen blinks and shutters, an image of the now dead priest plaguing it.

"We've obtained full conformation that the subject is deceased."

The screen closes, now black and unoccupied.

"Excellent work, 13."

Black Cat stands silently in the room, standing in front of a holographic system presenting three elder men.

"Your precision and efficiency once again was astounding. The tyrant has been eliminated and peace has finally returned to the village, so to speak."

"Now, on to your next assignment; while it may prove to be somewhat of a challenge we have all the faith in the world that you will succeed."

"Your stealth and cunning will be your greatest assets on this job, considering it's top secret nature."

"Sephiria will fill you in on the pertinent details."

The screen blanked once again, leaving the young man alone in the room with a figure kneeling behind him. The young woman with golden hair stood and directed her attention to 13.

"Train Heartnet. Your orders are as follows."

Pieces of confetti scattered around in the air as people cheered loudly. A blond man standing in an expensive looking car held a hand up proudly as clowns and skimpily dressed girls strutted around in the streets.

"Yeahhh! We won!"

"Peace is back!"

"Yahoo!"

The cheers continued, and music was played...a happy, upbeat tune.

A man in a white suit stood in an alley nearby, refusing to be enthusiastic about the event.

"Gimme a freakin' break...Governor? No way, he's a blackmailing, drug dealing, murdering gangster. He's broken every law and now somehow he's been elected Governor. Tell me that doesn't stink like roadkill."

He watched the other male, unimpressed. Looking down at a Wanted poster held in his hand, he grinned smugly to himself.

"You won't be on your pedestal for long, Lib Tyrant. I'll knock you off."

His stomach growled, whining at him pathetically. He turned and walked away from the festivities.

"I'd better hurry and snatch the reward for turning this guy in before I starve to death!"

He walked into the nearest restaurant and looked over the menu hungrily.

"Spaghetti plate. Club sandwich. PANCAKES."

He paused, looking detestably down at all the prices.

"Why is all this food so expensive?!"

A waitress stood by, a glum, bored look marring her face.

"Welcome to Stan's, what are you having?"

He looked up at her in surprise, then laughed nervously as he moved to light a cigarette.

"There's no smoking in this section."

He paused awkwardly, made his order and waited. When the waitress returned, she took his order and placed it down.

"Here's your black coffee."

As she was walking away, the man called out to her.

"Hang on..."

She turned on her heel and looked back at him. He chucked a coin at her kindly.

"It's all yours."

She smiled gratefully and chuckled.

"We usually don't get tippers in here."

"That's exact change."

Her smile disappeared.

"Thanks."

His stomach rumbled again. The waitress narrowed her eyes teasingly.

"Sounds like you're a bit hungry."

The man turned his head with a false grin.

"Not at all! I-I'm just on a crash diet! You know..."

His stomach growled even louder, seemingly protesting at the statement. He blushed and just looked down at the table in embarrassment.

Clearing his throat, he picked up his mug and started to drink. The waitress laughed kindly.

"Whatever, are you from, anyway?"

He smiled at her.

"Go ahead and take a guess."

She didn't take long to think about it.

"Well, you don't look like a tourist, so I'm guessing that you're here to milk a few bucks out of the Governor. Like all those fools over there."

She gestured to the Governor, surrounded by men and laughing loudly.

"Fools, huh?"

The waitress nodded.

"Since the election, this town's overrun with thugs looking for quick cash."

The man nodded understandingly.

"They don't look like a very chivalrous bunch."

She looked over at him in confusion.

"What do you mean, chivalrous?"

He lowered his head and closed his eyes.

"I mean polite, respectful and considerate. Just a nice guy."

She gave him a weird look.

"Yeaah. You try being a nice guy in this town and you'll be a dead guy before you know it. Take my word; just duck and cover."

He glanced out at the Governor once more.

"I mean, we're living in a world where people elect a gangster as their Governor."

The Governor paused in his waving to look down at a pretty black haired young woman. She looked delicate, like a china doll.

The man took a moment to smile before a scream sounded in the restaurant.

"Ahh! Get your hands off of me!"

The waitress at his side reacted immediately and angrily.

"Hey!"

She frisbee threw her tray at some blond thug harassing one of the waitresses. It placed itself comfortably in his mouth.

She rushed over to give the guys a piece of her mind. The man gazed after her quietly and assessed the situation.

"What the crap do you think you're doing?"

Several dishes could be heard crashing to the floor.

"Kicking you outta here!"

"Hey baby, you wanna party with some real men?"

"Oh yeah!"

"Sick drunks, get your hands off me!"

"But that's where I want my hands to be."

Another scream sounded.

"You think you could take me on? Let's go!"

The man sipped his coffee once more.

"You are sexy when you're angry!"

"Just leave me alone!"

"You just crossed the line!"

"Look at her move those hips!"

"I love this place!"

The waitress was now on her tiptoes trying to fend off the two thugs, waving her tray wildly as they made faces at her.

Suddenly, two round red balls shot into their mouth, making them pause.

"What's this on my tongue?"

They all turned to glance at the man, who'd gotten up and was walking casually towards them.

"Suck on that candy and calm down, boys. Now, step away from the ladies."

The thugs braced themselves for a fight, grinning wildly. He didn't react.

"That's more like it. And as a reward, I've got a couple of extra pieces of candy for you two."

He shot two more into their mouths. They swallowed unwillingly, their faces starting to grow red. The man smiled and looked up at the two.

"They're nano that they're inside your bodies, their first job is to burn your insides at a thousand degrees Fahrenheit."

The two began rolling around on the floor in a panic. The guy grinned.

"Just kidding! They're actually Jalapeno candy made especially for me, extra, extra hot."

The two thugs soaked their tongues in a bowl of cold water, sniffling humorlessly.

Several large plates were brought to his table, and the two waitresses smiled gratefully.

"Here you go! Eat everything you want."

The man drooled slightly.

"Whoa! This spread is huge!"

The waitress smiled.

"I'll open up a line of credit for you."

He suddenly had a depressed look on his face.

"So I have to pay?"

"Yup!"

As much as he resented it, he was hungry enough to eat a couple of elephants, so he just ate the food.

The festival continued outside, and he wondered idly why the new Governor's arm hadn't fallen off yet. He'd been waving like crazy all day, and he was still at it.

Meanwhile, Black Cat emerged and walked away from the crowd nearest the Governor. A memory pierced his mind.

A man holding a gun, cocked and ready to shoot.

"You can live or die; the choice is all yours."

Another image popped up, that of the man in the white coat.

"Now Train, I watched you work; what a sight to see. You've got skills beyond your years, not one bullet has ever strayed; you fire and you hit your target. It's more art than anything else!

Only you and I are capable of affecting such skills! Train Heartnet, consider yourself one of the elite."

He walked solemnly through the dark streets, which had now been silenced by the night. Walking into a stray door, he dropped his black coat on the bed and grabbed a bottle of milk from the fridge.

He poured it into a bowl outside as a sleek white cat began to drink it's fill. He sat on the roof and gazed at the moon, deep in thought, his yellow eyes glowing, his dark brown hair glistening in the moonlight.

His thoughts wandered to the face of the priest he had killed earlier that day. To his cold, dead eyes staring at him through the screen.

The cat broke his train of thought, mewing and pawing the bowl hungrily. He held up the empty bottle and looked down at it's large eyes.

"It's all gone."

He got up, and the cat sat down. The two stared through the night, awaiting that time, the calling.

A vision enters his head once more; that of a young boy, maybe 8 years of age. A child frightened by a gun and a threat.

"You can live or die; the choice is yours."

The sound of a shot rang out.

Firecrackers popped in the air as the seemingly festive times continued. Lib, the Governor, was surrounded by his guards in the car. Two stood out; one with a band of metal hiding his eyes, and a young woman by his side.

She had pink hair that was tied up in a high ponytail. Her skin was ivory and smooth, and her eyes were turquoise gems. She wore a dark black button up shirt, two of the top buttons undone, the sleeves rolled up to her elbows.

She seemed bored and payed no attention to Lib. She merely scanned through the crowd idly.

That's me. And just so you know, I'm not wearing shoes.

We were nearing Lib's mansion; just outside the gates. My curiosity pulled my eyes to a nearby car. It was a dumpy looking thing on standby, and in it was a man with a pair of binoculars.

He gazed at Lib and the guards surrounding him; all except me. I noticed the darkened part of the binoculars...on the right side. He hadn't notices me because of it.

He muttered softly to himself.

"Too many people out here to do anything."

I grinned as the car turned into the gates. This might be more interesting than I first thought.

People clapped and cheered as Lib Tyrant stepped up to the podium to speak. Why he had a podium in his own house, I had no idea. Probably to boost his ego.

"Good evening. I'm sure most of you know me by now."

I rolled my eyes at that. No shit, you held a goddamn parade all day yesterday and had firecrackers going off this afternoon as you paraded yourself into a newly built mansion right near town. I'm sure that even the pope knows about you now.

"My name is Lib Tyrant and I am very please to be your. Next. Governor!"

I shook my head and looked down at the dress I'd been told to wear this evening. Sure, all the other guards are in uniform but since I'm a girl, I have to blend in and keep a close eye on the crowd.

The dress is a deep purple, much to my annoyance. It's a halter dress with an open back. My hair is in a braid, tied with a dark purple ribbon. The dress cascaded to the floor, and I wondered stiffly if Lib realized that even if I did see anything suspicious, I couldn't do much.

A chocker was clasped around my neck, matching everything else. It had a black rose on it. A bracelet hung loosely off my ankle.

Oh well, at least people couldn't see that I wasn't wearing any shoes.

"Let me begin by saying thank you to everyone who supported me throughout this difficult campaign."

I noticed the man from earlier, stuffing his face while listening to Lib speak. He was dressed in an all white suit, with a blue button up underneath and a red tie. An eye patch concealed his right eye. His hair was a nice, dark grass green color, and he wore a white hat with a blue band atop his head. He had a bit of a stubble, and I couldn't help but find it charming.

He gazed around the room, seeming to evaluate different points and entries. I almost laughed. The place was surrounded by guards. I'd applaud anyone who could get to Lib through this mess.

Actually, that's exactly what I'm waiting for.

The man looked over the guards, assessing each one individually.

*This guy's got one hell of a security force in here.*

A glass could be heard breaking, and I looked over at the culprit, my eyes narrowed and annoyed. The small thing had caught almost everyone's attention, but it was just an idiot who had drunk too much wine.

The guy laughed as he looked at everyone staring at him.

"Stupid me, heh, too many drinks and my butterfingers come out!"

I stared at the ceiling for a moment, tempted to knock the guy down. I absentmindedly patted the knife held by a garter on my thigh. It was a dagger, with an iridium blade. The handle was made of bone, covered with leather. Near the handle was a carving of a wolf's paw print. The tip was dyed black.

The knife was light, the metal strong and dense. It was 13.5 inches and basically covered the length of my thigh.

The man looked over at a guard nearby who had taken out his gun and was now re-concealing it. I chuckled under my breath. Newbs.

Lib looked a bit disturbed by the interruption, but brushed it off carelessly.

"Generations to come will look on this time as one of great historical impact. Today is the day I have brought peace back to our fair city."

I watch the man from across the room. He glared at Lib, an almost disgusted look in his eye. I couldn't blame the guy; Tyrant was so full of shit I could hardly swallow the sight of him being so full of himself.

The man stared at Lib contemplatively.

*My only chance will be when he leaves this auditorium.*

A young girl caught his attention. She stood silently by the side of a large and rather boisterous man. She took no interest in the party.

The two regarded each other for a few tense seconds before he broke the silence with a silly gin and a wave of his food. She looked forward, no longer interested in the man's antics.

He took slight offense to it, but brushed it off smoothly.

"What an unfriendly little brat."

The girl turned her eyes to me, and I sent her a warm smile. She returned it with a slight one of her own before turning her attention back to the stage. I giggled quietly to myself. She's such a kid.

The lights went off and caught everyone's attention. However, it didn't faze Lib.

"Now I'd like to take a moment and make an important announcement. Allow me to introduce to you all; my beautiful fiancee, Johanna."

A spotlight rested on the petit girl with the black hair. She'd actually been enjoying a hearty meal when the announcement was made, and seemed embarrassed by the sudden attention. She was dressed cutely in a little pink frock and high heels.

She went up to the front and stood quietly next to Lib.

"We're going to be married next month in a traditional wedding ceremony, and you're all invited to be our guests! I'm sure that like our love, the peace in the city will last forever!"

Everyone cheered, probably because they were eager for another chance at eating expensive food from some hotshot's celebration.

"I can only promise you one thing; Lib Tyrant will always be a Governor for the people!"

Applause was loud in the room, and I was tempted to step out for some fresh air. The man with the eyepatch seemed a bit peeved and muttered under his breath.

"She's too cute to marry a gangster."

The drunken idiot from earlier trapezed around the room with a whole bottle of wine in hand.

"Whooo!"

He ended up spilling wine all over the guy, who'd been trying to light a cigarette and was still attempting to do so.

I couldn't help but laugh aloud. His face was priceless. For the first time that evening, I caught his attention. He gave me a big smile and walked away.

I coughed a little in embarrassment. I was usually a lot more composed, but who could blame me? This whole thing was so damned boring...I needed a bit of humor.

I was called to follow Lib and the other guards to escort him to the men's room. Of course, I politely excused myself when we got to the door, choosing to wait outside instead.

The man from earlier had gone in as well to clean himself up. His eyepatch was lying on the counter as he washed his face. Noticing Lib, he looked up with mismatched eyes to watch them pass by.

The eye usually covered by the eyepatch was a celery green and yellow mix, his other eye being orange.

The guards regarded him coolly as they escorted Lib.

A flash came to him as he saw Lib pass by, grinning to himself.

A bullet going through him, his eyes shot with pain and surprise. Falling backwards onto the floor. The figure of a tall, lean man in a black coat standing behind him, smoke fresh from fire, his eyes sharp and yellow.

As the group walked away, the man was left dumbfounded by his vision.

*Lib Tyrant...will be assassinated. Tonight.*

Music played happily in the main hall, where people laughed and ate and danced. I stood up when Lib and the others came out, proceeding to follow a bit behind, to keep an eye out for straddlers.

I noticed the guy with the eyepatch not too far behind me.

The vision came to him again, and he rested his eyes solely on Lib.

*There's no mistaking what I saw through my Vision eye. It was a premonition of what will happen five minutes from now.*

The memory went past him again.

*Lib is going to die. Shot through the chest.*

He recalled the sharp yellow eyes of the assassin.

*I have to grab him before the assassin shows up.*

I noticed one of the guards easing up, starting to take out a gun. Before he could do anything, I stopped and laid out an arm, halting the man behind me. I nodded for them to continue forth, my eyes narrowed in warning.

The guard shrugged and put away his weapon, rushing to keep up with the rest of the group.

The man behind me seemed a bit irked.

"Sorry, but I have to get through."

He tried to sidestep me, but I read his moves and took it in stride.

"I'm sorry, but I can't let you get too close. The guys are all action no brains. If you stalk too close like you were, they'd be on you like flies on honey."

He jerked to the left. I followed.

"You don't understand!"

I gave him a cocky smile.

"Oh, don't worry. I understand perfectly."

This caught him off guard, and I started walking away. He hurried to catch up.

"What do you mean, 'you understand'?"

I glanced at him momentarily before answering.

"It's obvious that he's going to be taken down. Why do you think there are so many guards flocking the place?"

I glance out the window at the moon, almost happy.

"It's no use though; when this guy sets his mind to kill, nothing gets in his way."

The guy grabbed my wrist, but did so gently, only meaning to have me look at him.

"You know the guy? Are you working with him?"

I chuckle and gently remove his hand.

"No, but you're not the only one with inhuman powers, you know. And I don't work for anybody; I always do what I think is right, nothing more, nothing less."

I started walking again, and he moved in sync beside me.

"So why don't you help me stop him? Instead of having Lib killed, we could put him away."

I smile and quicken my pace slightly.

"Ah, yes, a sweeper, right?"

He nodded quickly.

"Listen, I understand you need the money, but something bigger is going to come from his death. I don't know what, exactly, but it's something big."

He seemed offended by my words.

"No one deserves to die, no matter how bad they are."

I closed my eyes, the smile gone from my face.

"I know, but sometimes sacrifices have to be made. It's inevitable anyways."

He glared at me.

"Not if I can help it."

I laughed coldly.

"What, you wanna try? Be my guest."

He ran off ahead of me, and I could see that he was slightly weak. Probably from using that eye of his. Oh well. I planned to just sit back and enjoy the show.

When he got to the ballroom, he took a quick look around the area, trying to find out where the guy would come from. He still had a few minutes.

*Libs bodyguards are all over the place. Two minutes left...*

He walked around, looking left and right.

*Libs only got a few seconds left. Since there's no good shot from outside, the assassin's gotta be in this hall somewhere. If Lib stays here, surrounded by constituates and guards, how can anybody get close enough to commit the act?

Even if this assassin has found a way and he succeeds, I don't see how he can make it out of this room. It's useless. I've gotta figure out how to get Lib outta here with what little time I have left. My energy is drained from using my Vision eye there's no way I can handle Lib's security.

Not to mention that my sleeping gas is all used up. Do I even have a shot under these conditions? Or is Lib Tyrant already a dead man walking? Argh, I can't afford this weak thinking. If I don't deliver on this job I won't have enough for my car payment, I won't have any money for food but most importantly, I won't be able to afford my smokes.*

He noticed the smoke from his cigarette straying. He looked in the direction and widened his eyes.

"No..."

A window swung open carelessly, revealing a sliver of the night sky. Lib walked up to the stands once more, as Black Cat awaited his queue.

"And now, ladies and gentlemen, let's get it up for your new Governor one more time!"

Everyone clapped and cheered, but the man only gasped in surprise. The assassin had landed on the ground behind him, in a flurry of his black clothing.

He didn't even have time to turn and look at him before he raced through the crowd. The guy couldn't even blink for fear of loosing sight of him.

*It's him!*

He started chasing after the assassin, doing his best to keep up but not even coming close. He pushed past several people while the younger man dodged them with ease.

"Move it! Coming through!"

*I can't let this guy win!*

Lib walked slowly to the stand, a big grin on his face. I stood nearby the stairs to the stage, leaning casually against it and shaking my head. Did this guy even know what was going on? I spotted the two figures; one running steadily and gracefully through the crowd, the other clumsily knocking several people trying to catch up.

The guy had a strained look on his face as he tried to speed up.

*I'm dead in the water if he pulls this off! I've gotta get to Lib before he does!*

Lib tugged at his suit proudly, preparing to speak.

Trying to catch the guy was pointless. He called out to his suitcase "Chivalrous net!", but only succeeding in catching the drunken guy from earlier.

"Whoo! I always said I was a catch but this is ridiculous!"

"Great..."

Lib began to speak, but his words were lost on the crowd. My partner, whom has the eye band, looked around carefully, seeming distressed about something. I knew he could feel the presence of our little friend.

He was knocked out only seconds later, and Black Cat turned to point his gun straight into the Governors back. Lib gasped and turned momentarily to look at me. I only shrugged, a smile playing my lips.

He glanced behind him to gaze into his assailant's piercing yellow eyes.

"I've come to deliver some bad luck."

The trigger was pulled, and the shot rang out into the room. Everyone paused a moment before little delicate Johanna screeched into the air. As Lib's body fell to the floor, the whole room rang out in disarray.

I'd already slipped out, following a couple of curious characters.

Black Cat strode out into the night, his work finished.

"Hold it!"

He stopped and, admittedly, jerked a little from surprise. He hadn't expected to be followed.

The man behind him gasped for air.

"You...you killed him. I was there to capture him alive. There was a reward. He...was filth but there was no need to kill him. You think all bad people deserve a bullet through the chest?"

Black Cat didn't reply, instead focused on something else.

"Get down."

Moments after the words had been spoken, sharp objects flew through the air, slicing several trees and only skimming the man who ducked as he was told.

The boomerang like object was caught by none other than the man Black Cat had knocked out before getting to Lib.

He swung his arm, boomerang in hand.

"You scum! You killed sir Tyrant! Now it's your turn!"

He began throwing maniacally. Black Cat started advancing, but before he could get to him, I ceased his actions by placing a hand on his back.

Looking up, I noticed a small scratch on the side of the assassins face.

"Hey, calm down, would you? There's no point. The guy's dead, just deal with it."

He shrugged me off and gave me a menacing look.

"What are you saying?! He killed the Governor! Actions must be taken!"

I sighed and shook my head.

"Is getting revenge really worth your head?"

He stood silently as I approached the man cowering on the ground.

"Oh, get up. You look really pathetic right now."

Both he and 13 seemed surprised by my actions. I helped the guy up and looked at Black Cat.

"You can go. You're finished what you needed to do, right? So leave."

He hesitated only a moment before giving a sharp nod. He casually threw one of my partner's boomerangs at him, caging him against a tree before jumping over the fence. The guy I'd just helped up wasted no time in going after him.

I watch them leave when a chilling silence overtook. When I turned, I noticed a man in a white coat walking towards my partner. I moved to get in the way, but my conscious told me to stay put, and I humbly obeyed.

"Stuck, like a rat in a trap."

He stopped near the tree and grimaced.

"Seems you scarred Train's pretty face. You know what comes next right?"

My partner stuttered in fear, sweating and struggling to free himself. I watched in cold silence as the other man put a foot on the boomerang and put pressure until the sharp blade dug into my partner's skin and caused blood to splatter everywhere.

The man laughed cruelly before turning to address me.

"I'll let you go this time, but try not to cross paths with me again, or I might not be so courteous."

His eyes traveled along my body before he left, and I struggled not to go after him with my blade drawn.

I decided to go check on the guy from earlier, to see if he was alright. He'd just finished getting over the fence and was panting heavily.

He got into his car and drove off,crying shamelessly to himself.

"Aw man, I should have eaten more free food at the party!"

He suddenly thought of the numerics he saw on Black Cat's chest. XIII. He decided to ask at a local pawnshop about it. As the guy checked out the watch he'd offered, he explained the meaning.

"If he had a roman numeral branded into his chest, then he's one of the Chronos numbers."

"Chronos?"

"He's an eraser for Chronos."

"Eraser?"

"An assassin, and he works for Chronos."

He leaned against the counter, deep in thought.

"Well, he looked like a bad leadaresque teenager."

"He was just a kid?! What was the number? Do you remember?"

"Sure, it was 13."

"Grab your stuff and get out of my shop."

The man looked up in surprise.

"What? What's wrong?"

The pawnshop owner threw his watch back at him.

"Get out! Now!"

This irritated him.

"What's your problem, old man?!"

"I don't have a problem, I just want you gone."

"But you haven't given me anything for the watch!"

"The watch is crap. It's worthless, and I don't recycle scrap metal here."

The man got on his knees and rested his chin on the counter.

"Come on! Just a few bucks, I'm down to my last two cigarettes and I haven't eaten all day!"

"Kuro neko."

"What?"

"Is the thirteenth man of the Chronos numbers. Kuro neko. A.k.a Black Cat and he's a heartless assassin. Now I've been in the information business a long time and I've only heard of him

I've heard that he kills what he seeks, and if he seeks you I don't want you around my shop."

"Are you sure this watch isn't worth anything?"

"Get out of here before you get me killed!"

He walked away from the shop, thinking over the information he had gained.

"The Black Cat..."

He guided himself to the diner he had eaten at earlier. Sitting in his seat, he glance around the room.

"It's quiet in here now."

The waitress stood nearby, feeling talkative and energetic.

"When the Governor died all the thugs left town. That's all fine by me, but business died too...So, are you putting this on credit, 'Mr. Chivalrous'?"

"Yes."

She regarded him quietly.

"You never said what you do for a living."

"I'm a sweeper."

He was having another one of those dreams. A dream of a little kid with yellow eyes running. Yelling.

"Dad!"

Pause.

"Dad, Mom!"

No response.

"Please, wake up!"

Running towards the two bodies encased in water. Stopping and looking into his father's cold, dead eyes, then turning heel, screaming and crying.

Holding a gun and pulling the trigger to a face in the water.

Sing a song

Unto the world

Rising high the clouds unfurl

Fan the flames unto the past

Here, now, our lives will last

We'll never know the times of pain

Fall down, fall down, falls the rain

My life won't be plain

Train turned to gaze at the singer, a young woman wearing a kimono.

That was the second song he'd heard that night. The two were still and silent as the last notes resounded in the air before she noticed him and turned to smile.


End file.
